Tigers hope DL, medicine will fix Michael Fulmer (elbow), not surgery

We look at the centerpiece of the Detroit Tigers' trade that sent Justin Wilson and Alex Avila to the Chicago Cubs - third baseman Jeimer Candelario, a Top-100 prospect who's close to being MLB-ready. By Brian Manzullo, DFP.
Wochit

Tigers All-Star has right elbow ulnar neuritis, hopes to miss just one start

Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer delivers during the first inning on Monday, July 31, 2017, at Yankee Stadium.(Photo: Kathy Willens, AP)

BALTIMORE – He has dealt with it for the better part of two seasons, he said, but when Michael Fulmer felt the numbness and tingling in his pinky and ring fingers during Monday night’s start against the New York Yankees, he knew he had to say something.

“This was just the first time that I actually felt it during the game,” he said.

And when he felt the symptoms lingering the next day, the Detroit Tigers were left with little choice but to place their young right-hander on the disabled list. Fulmer, who carries most of the weight of the organization’s future, hit the 10-day DL today, diagnosed with right elbow ulnar neuritis.

A MRI test showed inflammation around the ulnar nerve. The issue is not deemed to be serious, head trainer Kevin Rand said, but serious enough to shut down Fulmer for at least a week while he takes anti-inflammatory medication and see how it progresses.

“It was something that he felt the last couple of innings, after the game and when it was still present the next day, that means the body wasn’t able to handle it,” Rand said.

“From that standpoint, you look at it, he’s got a bright future, so let’s find out what’s going on. This gives us time to really take a look at it and at the same time, protect him.”

Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer (32) reacts after giving up a series of runs during the first inning on Thursday, July 20, 2017, in Kansas City, Mo.(Photo: Peter Aiken USA TODAY Sports)

The best news is that Fulmer received an X-ray test, which showed no structural damage to his elbow. But it’s the second time this season he’s dealt with an injury: In mid-June, he was diagnosed with right shoulder bursitis.

“Honestly, it’s kind of the best-case scenario in my mind,” Fulmer said. “Everything came back clean. I’ll be OK once everything gets calmed down, but we gotta get it calmed down. Time heals a lot of things and hopefully time heals that one.”

If it doesn’t, then the Tigers could be forced to consider surgery as an option, though Rand stressed it is not something that is currently on the table.

“Obviously we’re not of that mindset right now because the fact is, it’s something he’s dealt with on his own,” Rand said. “It’s not something unusual to him. … At this point, we’re not looking in that direction. Then if we get to that point, then we can talk about that. Present time, we haven’t explored that as an option at this point in time. If we get to that point, then we’ll talk about it.”

If surgery is required, it likely would be one to release the nerve or perform a transposition where the nerve would be moved out of the tunnel its located in. Recovery time for that would be about three months, so it could be an off-season procedure, though the Tigers are optimistic he will avoid such a surgery.

Manager Brad Ausmus said the Tigers have not decided who will make Fulmer’s scheduled start on Saturday.

“We’ll see how the bullpen usage goes for the next couple of days and then we’ll decide,” he said, mentioning a bullpen day as a possibility, along with right-handers Warwick Saupold, Drew VerHagen and lefty Chad Bell.

Fulmer, 24, is 10-9 with a 3.59 ERA and 1.13 WHIP this season. He was an American League All-Star this season, selected as the league’s rookie of the year last season and is widely considered the most important young player in the organization.

Though Fulmer said, “Of course,” he fought the DL stint and hopes he will only miss one start, the team would be wise to practice caution with him.

“It kind of affected only one pitch, the change-up, because that’s the only ring finger I use on that pitch,” Fulmer said. “But fastball velocity was good, my slider was still good. I’m not really concerned with it because my stuff was still there. I feel like it just kind of affected the change-up.

“Obviously, when you lose feeling in your fingers, it’s not the best sign. But hopefully, it’s just a little thing where you just take off a week and you let everything calm down and take some anti-inflammatories and be good after 10 days."